The Nationwide Building Society has just released its latest house price indices today, which for the first time since the beginning of the credit crunch, show that year-on-year house price inflation is now static at 0.0% change from September 2008.
That indicates the average house value has recovered any losses since this time last year, as prices continue to rise month on month. Monthly change is down slightly at 0.9% from 1.4% in August. It leaves the average drop since the 2007 peak at 13.5%, some way off the 40% drops expected by pundits until recently.
The news comes in a week where lenders have continued to announce reductions in interest rates on products up to 75% loan to value, with Nationwide themselves releasing a raft of new rates yesterday, of which there were too many for me to go into detail, more news will be available this week.
Alliance & Leicester announced further rate reductions yesterday on their 75% loan to value two-year fixed rates for new purchases.
The new product, with a £995 arrangement fee and a fixed rate of 4.53%, sits alongside their 4.48% product with a 1% arrangement fee.
The new rate brings them into line with rates from Abbey, but this product could benefit those who have recently gone self-employed or started a business; Alliance & Leicester require only one year of accounts minimum against two from Abbey. It also has a free valuation, much like Abbey’s three-year fix at the same rate.
The move continues the trend of lenders moving their products down to a similar baseline, but with no one currently undercutting the rest of the market, unlike what we have seen with variable rates from HSBC and Woolwich, although; swap rates have not dropped in the same fashion as Three-Month LIBOR which fuelled the reduction in variable rates.
The new rates have an APR of 5.1%, and the reversion rate currently stands at 4.99%. Early repayment charges are 3% of the loan until 31/12/2011, and the lender’s Conveyancing fee is typically £189.
Always consult the Key Facts Illustration before deciding on a mortgage product and seek independent advice. To speak to a mortgage advisor, call 0845 4594490.
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Findaproperty.com’s new house price index suggests that house prices have remained stagnant at the bottom of the market while large rises in higher-value properties are propping up the major indices.
Their figures, collated from average asking prices on the website over the past month, show high-value properties climbing at 6.6% annually against a monthly rise of 0.3% for first-time buyer properties, leaving them still down -4.6% year on year.
That would suggest that difficult lending conditions for first-time buyers continue to drag down property prices as second times buyers struggle to find a buyer who can afford their property in the current market.
However, there is good news in the bag as average first-time buyer affordability has improved dramatically, fuelled by the price reduction.
Their figures for the affordability gap, or the average deposit required, show a drop to £55,700 or 1.74 times gross household income, against £71,000 or 2.8 times gross household income in January 2008.
Overall the indices showed a 0.2% rise over the August figures, leaving the average national asking price at £218,134.
Alliance & Leicester have announced a reduction to 4.88% for their 3-year fixed rates, up to 70% loan to value with either a 1% or £995 arrangement fee.
The rate then reverts to 4.99% currently, giving an APR of 5.2%. Valuation fees are refunded on completion for a property value of up to £1 Million and would be £280 based on borrowing of £100k at 70% LTV.
Applicable fees are the lender’s Conveyancing fee of £189, Telegraphic transfer fee of £30 and early repayment charges of 3% of the loan until 30/11/2012.
Whilst this brings them into line with offerings from Abbey, it is still some .4% higher than the current products on offer from Woolwich.
As usual, always consult a Key Facts Illustration before deciding on a mortgage. For further information on this product or others, contact us on 0845 4594490 to speak to a mortgage broker.
Think carefully before securing other debts against your home. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it. We do not usually charge a fee for mortgage advice although you do have the option to pay up to 1.5% of the loan amount. Some buy-to-let and commercial loans are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
The Woolwich has announced a new tracker at 1.48% above the base rate for the first year, reverting to 2.49% above the base rate for life, giving their lowest-ever headline mortgage rate of 1.98%; currently.
The product has a minimum loan of £200,000 and a maximum of £500,000, so it is restrictive; early repayment charges are 2% until 31/01/2013, meaning it does tie you into the rate for a prolonged period.
The product has a £999 arrangement fee; based on a loan of £200,000 at 60%, a valuation fee of £415, a lender Conveyancing fee of £126, a land registry fee of £280 and a completion fee of £35, while APR is 3.0%.
The big caveat to this product is that the option to switch to a Woolwich fixed rate without penalty during the early repayment charge period, which Woolwich call “drop lock”, does NOT apply to this product.
So while its headline rate may be very tempting if there are significant rises in interest rates, particularly in the second and subsequent years of the mortgage, it could become very costly indeed, particularly as early repayment charges on a minimum loan of 200K would amount to four thousand pounds as well!
For this reason, I would recommend seeking mortgage advice about the suitability of this product if it has your interest, and as usual, read the Key Facts Illustration prior to making any decision on a mortgage product.
Think carefully before securing other debts against your home. Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage or any other debt secured on it. There may be a fee for mortgage advice. The amount will depend upon your circumstances but it is typically £200 or up to a maximum of 1.5% of the loan value.
Some buy-to-let and commercial loans are not regulated by the Financial Services Authority.
